Monsanto’s activity in Ukraine began well before the war. The US agro-chemical giant is a world leader in GMO crops and, reportedly, also one of the owners of a significant portion of Ukraine's arable lands. Monsanto made significant investments in Ukraine as early as 2013, hoping to create a legal environment that would pave the way for its GMO products.

Scandal after scandal

US-based Monsanto, bought up in 2018 by the German company Bayer, is the world’s largest developer and producer of genetically modified seeds. It is considered one of the most hated companies and protests against Monsanto by various groups are a regular occurrence.

In the United States, where maize and soy are almost 100 per cent genetically modified, Monsanto is one of the main sellers. It also has an established presence in nearly every country in the world, selling GMO products where it is allowed, and other varieties where it isn’t. And not just seeds, but also pesticides, insecticides and herbicides. The serious health risks of its products were also established in court in 2019.

Frenchman Paul Francois has been suing Monsanto for almost ten years, claiming that the company’s herbicide caused him to suffer from memory problems, headaches and stuttering, and that the possible side effects were not properly disclosed on the product’s packaging. The French court ruled in favour of Mr Francois. There have also been several similar cases in the US, where Monsanto’s chemicals have caused cancer in victims.

The company also entered Ukraine

Monsanto is one of the three companies that has acquired a significant portion of Ukraine’s agricultural land, the Australian National Review wrote recently. However, the company’s activities in Ukraine began much earlier. In 2013, agrarian associations – presumably under pressure from the company itself – initiated that the use of genetically modified seeds be legalised in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Klymenko, president of the Ukrainian Grain Association, told the portal in 2013 that they are asking for the legalization of seeds (primarily corn and soy) that have already been successfully tested in the US. Foreign experience must be drawn on, because Ukraine’s own development of seeds would take decades, Klymenko told Interfax.

Somewhat later, in January 2015, riseuptimes.org published an article on Monsanto’s activities in Ukraine. The author described Monsanto’s opening an office in Ukraine as a revealing sign, adding that it’s no different from the US military’s habit to set up bases in places where they want to gain political control. The author goes on to point out that

„the IMF gave Ukraine a $17 billion loan – but only if they would open up to biotech farming and the selling of Monsanto’s poison crops and chemicals – destroying a farmland that is one of the most pristine in all of Europe”.

With this move, seed producer Monsanto and agricultural giant DuPont (whose land purchase in Ukraine have also raised suspicion) will be having a heyday, the paper remarked as early as in 2015.